Serenity in Space
by DJFireHawk
Summary: Serenity is reborn far in the future as Jim Kirk's cousin. The two go through an ordeal that binds them closer than siblings. When Jim joins Starfleet she goes with him and becomes a nurse.
1. Chapter 1

Serenity in Space

Summary: Serenity is reborn far in the future as Jim Kirk's cousin. The two go through an ordeal that binds them closer than siblings. When Jim joins Starfleet she goes with him and becomes a nurse.

A/N: This first chapter condenses everything prior to Into Darkness…after this it gets more detailed but this part sets the stage so to speak so if this chapter seems a bit rushed in terms of timeline that's because it is lol.

Chapter 1

"Jimmy!"

A young Jim Kirk stepped out of a shuttle and braced for impact as a small bubbly blonde threw herself into his arms. Her parents stood nearby with beaming smiles as the blonde male wrapped the girl in a tight hug.

"Hey Rena."

"Welcome Jim. Rest assured we have no plans to punish you as your mother wanted. You must be hungry. I made a nice pot roast for all of us to share tonight."

"Mama makes the best pot roast Jimmy. Come on let's hurry!"

Jim smiled and let his little cousin drag him wherever her little heart desired. He never could say no to her. His mother had sent him to stay with his father's sister after he wrecked his dad's old car to keep her latest husband from selling it. They were more than happy to take him in and he found himself feeling more at home with them than with his own mother who was rarely ever there anyway.

He went to school with Serenity and actually allowed his intelligence to show when she started challenging him to keep up with her, earning top marks with her and a few others which allowed them to attend a special weekend camp. After a few months of happiness a fungus started killing off the crops at a frightening rate and the governor told them that Starfleet had ignored his calls for help. Jim and Serenity were smart enough to know that had to be a lie, his dad had been part of Starfleet and he would never have ignored a call for help. Serena's parents became worried, even fearful, as soldiers began patrolling the little towns and raiding houses for so-called stolen food and arresting people for supposedly hoarding food.

When Serenity's parents received a summons to the Governor's palace, specifically stating that the two children were not allowed to attend, the two blonde children became concerned and followed anyway. They snuck in through a drainage grate and watched from below as the governor ordered his soldiers to open fire on the crowd of those he deemed inferior. They heard the governor order his soldiers to round up the camp kids so he could begin his breeding program and the two ran for it. They grabbed as many of their friends as they could find and ran into the mountains, hiding in a cave system and sneaking out to steal food when they could. The first night many of the kids had emotional breakdowns after losing their families and it was Serenity and Jim that helped them all get through it.

Eventually they were all caught when their cave was found, and were then tortured for daring to defy their governor. When Governor Kodos tried to get Serenity to be part of his breeding program she refused. He had her whipped into unconsciousness while Jim screamed himself hoarse and caused severe injuries to his wrists trying to break free and help her. By the time Starfleet realized something was wrong, after hearing nothing from Tarsus Four for months, only nine children form the original group were still alive. Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Farragut were the first to arrive and when they made their way into the dungeons several of them had to swallow down the urge to be violently ill at the sight. Pike recognized Jim and Serenity and personally carried Serenity and Jim, who limped behind them after refusing to be carried, back to his ship. After his medical officer was done tending to them he placed the two in a room where nine little beds had been set up for the kids. He watched as the two pushed all the mattresses together and piled the blankets and pillows on top, wondering just what they were doing that for. When the rest of the kids were brought in it became painfully clear, none of them wanted to be apart form each other as they all clung to Jim and Serenity like they were human lifelines.

The group became known as the Tarsus Nine and refused to let the incident be swept under the rug. Many years later found the two at a bar in Iowa where Jim was hitting on a clearly uninterested Starfleet Cadet while Serenity tried not to laugh too hard when he got shot down repeatedly, though she could tell the woman was amused by his attempts. When a large male came over and started trying to push Jim around Serenity intervened.

"It's a bit of harmless flirting and I'm sure she can handle herself just fine."

"How about you let me handle you pretty girl…show you what a real man can do."

When the man made the mistake of trying to pat Serenity on the ass Jim snapped and punched him in the jaw, starting an epic bar brawl that only stopped when Pike's shrill whistle made the cadets freeze in terror.

"Outside all of you. Now!"

"You can whistle really loud."

"…and he has a concussion...Hi Uncle Chris."

Jim's words were slurred and Serenity sighed softly, shaking her head as she turned to the man who had intervened. Pike just gave her an amused look while checking her for any injuries.

"You alright Serenity?"

"I'm fine…The big guy tried to slap my ass and Jim kind of snapped…"

"Can't say I wouldn't have done the same sweetheart. Let's have a chat shall we?"

Pike challenged Jim to join Starfleet and do better than his father had…and Jim could never pass up a good challenge. The next day the two boarded the shuttle heading to Starfleet Academy, noticing the same cadets from the bar as Jim once again tried to flirt with the lady.

"Give it a rest Jim…she's clearly not interested."

Commotion from the bathroom caught their attention as a surly doctor attempted to keep his seat in the bathroom with no windows. Serenity could tell he was possibly Aviophobic…with a fear of flying…or possibly Astrophobic…with a fear of space…though she couldn't figure out why he'd be on a Starfleet shuttle if that was the case. After meeting the man she found out it was Aviophobia…fear of flying…and Jim voiced her thought before she could.

"I hate to break it to you but Starfleet operates in space."

"Yeah well…my wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce…all I got left is my bones."

Thus the man earned his new nickname from Jim…Bones. Serenity decided to call him Leo instead and the three became nearly inseparable at the Academy. Serenity became a nurse and Leo helped her study for her exams and even taught her things most nurses wouldn't know. After three years they were getting ready to graduate…but Jim had to pass one final test…the Kobayashi Maru…an infamous test because no one ever passed it…ever. Jim was determined and refused to give up…after his second failed attempt he decided to bring Serenity on as part of his crew along with Bones and Uhura, the girl he'd hit on at the bar ironically enough. As they began the test Serenity noticed that the Klingon ships weren't shielding their undersides, the belly of the ships were often the most vulnerable spots but the Academy didn't teach that.

"Jimmy…they're not shielding their undersides…we should come up from below and fire at them that way."

"Good idea…Bones…make it happen."

"I'm a Doctor damnit, not a pilot."

Serenity giggled at him and the doctor pouted at her before following Jim's command, thus winning the scenario. In the observation booth the Vulcan who created the simulation was beyond aggravated, but he couldn't make accusations without seeming petty. After the test he confronted the two in the hall while Bones lingered nearby in case they needed him. The resulting conversation was far from pleasant but the Vulcan went too far when he brought their parents into it and Serenity started crying. Leo gathered the poor girl into his arms while Jim hissed at the Vulcan in a low angry tone.

"You can go after me all you want but don't you EVER upset her like that again do you understand me? She lost her parents on Tarsus due to a madman's genocide…and almost died herself. Maybe the next time you want to go after someone for managing to outsmart you…think before you open your mouth. I thought Vulcan's were supposed to be logical and have control over their emotions but you…nah…not even worth it. Come on Serenity…let's get milkshakes."

"Chocolate?"

"Of course."

Serenity perked up when Jim mentioned milkshakes and Bones snorted softly, leveling a harsh glare at the Vulcan before following his friends out of the area. When Spock turned to his secret girlfriend, Uhura, he found her giving him an angry look as well.

"I take it you also believe I took things too far?"

"You think? God Spock…you can't bring people's parents into an argument…for one thing that has no logic in it whatsoever, and for another…you could make a blunder like you just did and hit a raw nerve. I may not like Kirk…but Serenity is my friend and that hurt her a lot more than it did him."

Uhura ran to catch up to the trio and joined them for milkshakes, coaxing a tiny laugh out of Serenity as she regaled her with her roommate Gaila's latest exploits. Uhura's roommate was an Orion girl with a flare for the dramatic and a love of men…any men. Jim and Bones just hung back and let Uhura cheer the blonde up but Jim was still seething at the Vulcan for going after her like that. Bones could see it in his friend's posture and the way his jaw kept clenching but he couldn't really say anything when he wasn't faring much better himself. An alarm started blaring and the intercom called all third and fourth year cadets to the hangar so the four ran to follow the order. The Cadets were divided among the ships docked at the space station and Uhura got Spock to change her to the Enterprise, thus joining Serenity, Jim, and Bones in the shuttle. Once they were on board the Enterprise the navigator, a young Russian kid, began briefing them on the reason for the urgency…which had Jim bolting down to where Uhura was stationed and then all four of them were racing onto the bridge where Spock tried to flex his proverbial muscle only to have Jim out logic him.

"Sir…we're warping into a trap."

"Lieutenant? Are you picking up any transmissions in Romulan?

"I'm not picking up any transmissions at all…in any language. It's silent Sir."

"Red alert, shields up!"

Uhura's statement caused all of Pike's inner alarm bells to go off and as he braced himself he watched Jim put Serenity between himself and the railing, bracing around her to protect her should anything happen…something Spock took note of as well. As they came out of warp they entered a massive debris field and when Serenity saw a piece of hull with the name Farragut stamped on it she fell to her knees with a soft cry that was echoed by Uhura behind her.

"Gaila…"

"Shh…Serenity look at me…they may have made it into escape pods right? Right Jim?"

"Yeah…Bones is right…they might be fine."

When Spock went to open his mouth, probably to contradict them, Uhura put a hand over it to keep him quiet and he kept it to himself.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Eight ships…dear god Jimmy…eight ships destroyed…why?"

"I don't know…"

Their ship was suddenly faced with another of monstrous size and Serenity shivered as Jim held her close. The other ship fired on them and then suddenly hailed them and they were faced with a Romulan. He talked to Pike and then to Spock who looked so very confused that this Romulan knew his name. Pike agreed to fly over to the other ship and Serenity was the first to protest, and the loudest…which was saying something since Jim, Bones, and Spock were all protesting as well.

"You can't…he'll kill you I just know it…please? I can't lose you too…You've become like a second father to me Uncle Chris…please…"

"Hey…look at me Serenity…I will be fine. You stay with Doctor McCoy here and do what you do best alright? I'll be back before you know it. Spock, Kirk…walk with me."

As the three left the bridge Serenity nearly lost her composure completely but Bones held her up and got her back to the Medbay where she could collapse in the CMO's office and just let it out of her system. Jim, Sulu who was the pilot, and another cadet space jumped down to the drilling platform that was attached between the large ship and Vulcan, the one guy was killed outright but Jim and Sulu managed to disable the drill and got beamed back to the ship just as Spock went to beam down to the planet. When Spock returned with the Vulcan elders but missing his mother Jim felt bad for him, and then the big ship attacked them again. The Medbay sustained heavy damage and the CMO was killed, thus Bones inherited his position, a fact Spock pointed out once they were back on the bridge and he commed for Doctor M'Benga and was informed of his demise. Jim butted in to ask if Serenity was alright, sighing in relief along with Uhura when they heard her voice shouting at Bones in the background.

"Leo! I need help here…this guy's going to bleed out in less than two minutes."

"Gotta go."

Bones cut the connection and Jim shared a look with Uhura who gave him a weak smile. One that Spock noticed with a small spark of something he refused to call jealousy.

"At least she's ok…I don't think I could stand it if I lost Gaila and Serenity both…"

"Serenity is tougher than she looks…she's already been through hell and survived."

The whole, bridge crew gave him a curious look at that and he promised to explain after it was all over. They watched as Vulcan imploded and everyone felt shock and loss, but none more so than Spock though he refused to let it show. Jim and Spock argued over the next course of action to take and Jim ended up being ejected onto a frozen planet in an escape pod. Serenity was livid when she found out from Bones and marched right onto the bridge without waiting for permission and backhanded Spock before screaming at him until his pointed ears were ringing. Bones and Uhura just stood back and watched, neither one wanting to have the tiny blonde turn her wrath onto them next.

"That is not a logical action Mister Spock...nor is it the action of a good captain. Just because a crew member disagrees with you is no reason to eject them onto a frozen wasteland of a planet. How long do you think he can survive out there?"

"If he remains inside the pod and waits for the nearby station to pick him up he will be fine."

"That station has TWO Starfleet personnel stationed there…and you know as well as I do that Jim is not going to just stay in the capsule and wait. If he dies down there I will hold you personally responsible and I will make sure you pay for it."

The petite blonde turned sharply on her heel and marched off the bridge, missing the low whistle Bones let out after her departure.

"I knew she had a temper in there somewhere but damn…"

Spock remained silent, the imprint of the little blonde's hand turning green upon his cheek and reminding him that despite being half human himself…he still did not understand them. Eventually Jim came back by beaming onto the ship while it was still at Warp with another man in tow. The cadet he'd punched back in the bar in Iowa was the one that caught them and dragged them to the bridge. Bones and Serenity rushing to meet them there after Spock called for Bones, mainly because Bones wasn't about to tell her no. She beat him there and slammed full-force into Jim, who barely remained upright, crying softly as he wrapped her in a comforting hug.

"Shh…calm down Rena…I'm alright…little banged up but otherwise fine…look, see for yourself."

"You could have been killed Jimmy!"

"I wasn't though…it's all ok now."

"No…it is most certainly NOT ok…I hate him for doing that to you."

"No you don't…you don't have it in you to hate anyone…you're too nice and that's a good thing."

Serenity leaned against Jim's side and he held her close while Bones hovered nearby with a scanner, scowling at each minor injury he found. Jim and Spock got into an actual fight on the bridge after Jim pushed the Vulcan past his breaking point and got pummeled into one of the consoles. The Vulcan only stopped when Serenity's screaming managed to pierce the enraged fog that had settled over his mind and he let her push him away from Jim. She cradled Jim close to her as Spock relinquished his command and left the bridge.

"Well that's just great…now we've got no Captain and no god damned First Officer to replace him."

Jim pushed himself off the floor, pulling Serenity up with him and wiping his bleeding lip with the back of his hand.

"Yeah we do."

As Jim sat in the chair the Pilot informed them all that Pike had made Jim first officer and Bones was less than enthusiastic about it.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Bones."

Serenity checked Jim's injuries, ignoring his protests completely while Bones chuckled behind the pair. Once she was satisfied Serenity and Bones joined Jim and the crew in figuring out a new plan of action. The little Russian, who Serenity found out was called Ravel Chekov…a cute name in her opinion, came up with a plan and Bones was skeptical to say the least.

"Wait a minute kid…how old are you?"

"Sewenteen Sir."

"Oh good…he's seventeen."

Spock arrived and backed up the kid's plan and he and Jim ended up agreeing to beam over to the big ship together to find Pike and try to stop the ship. Serenity wasn't the only one that thought it would end badly but Jim wouldn't listen. Jim, Pike, and Spock were beamed back just in time to avoid a massive collision and Serenity was right there with Bones as he scanned Pike and had him taken to the Medbay. Serenity followed Jim and Spock, scanning them as they ran to the bridge and skidding to a stop behind them as they hailed the other ship and Jim offered assistance.

"I would rather die in agony than accept assistance from you."

"How does destroying eight ships filled with people make you any better than those you claim to be against for what was supposedly done to you and your people? By the way…Romulus is still there so wherever you came from the thing that you're so angry about hasn't happened here. Instead of putting your anger and pain into revenge…put it into finding a way to save Romulus now while there's still a lot of time to prepare. We can save you and your crew…let us help you…we'll get you returned to Romulus and you can be with your people again."

The man focused on Serenity with a calculating look in his eyes as he refused assistance once again so Jim fired everything they had at the larger ship, only realizing that it might not have been a great idea after the debris started coming in their direction. Serenity's eyes went wide, turning silver as her body began to glow with soft silver light that spread out from her body to surround the ship. Jim watched as the debris just bounced away when it hit the silver shield and turned to look at his cousin in awe, only to have catch her as she collapsed into his arms. He shook her gently to try and wake her but she was out cold and it scared him.

"Rena? Serenity? Come on wake up…don't scare me like this…Serenity?"

Spock crouched next to them and reached out to place his fingers on the side of her neck, feeling her pulse beating strong and steady.

"Her pulse is normal Captain…I believe she is merely exhausted from whatever just occurred."

"Oh…good…that's good…can you maybe…keep this a secret…all of you? I don't want her to be tested like some kind of lab rat…"

"We'll all keep her secret Captain…right everyone?"

The entire bridge crew spoke out their agreement with Uhura, as did Bones who had snuck in when none of them were paying attention and was scanning her.

"Pointy is right…she's merely exhausted. I'll take her down to the temporary Medbay to rest for now. Pike is stable but he's heavily injured…time will tell where he's concerned."

"Thanks Bones…take good care of our girl."

"Always Jim…always."

They tried to get out of there but even at maximum warp they weren't moving so Scotty, Jim's new friend from the frozen planet, ejected the warp core and detonated it…the resulting blast catapulted them out of the danger zone but the ended up with no warp capability so getting home was going to take a long time. Jim contacted Starfleet to give them and update and was informed that several other ships of the fleet were on route to their location and would tow them back to Earth. Once they got back Jim immediately ran to check on Serenity, with his bridge crew following close on his heels. She was awake and talking to Bones, but very confused as to what had happened to her. Jim filled in what he could but even he had no real idea of what had happened. They all left the ship together, with Pike on a stretcher and bound for Starfleet's main hospital for further treatment and surgery after his ordeal. They were hailed as heroes and had to endure a lot of press and meetings and endless photo ops…but they were happy…they had saved their home.

Later, once Pike had healed enough to be let out of the hospital, Starfleet held a commendation ceremony for the Enterprise crew. All of their field promotions were upheld and made permanent. Doctor McCoy was now the Chief Medical Officer, Nyota Uhura was the Chief Communications Officer, and Serenity was the Head Nurse...and Jim…Jim was given command of the ship as her new Captain and he actually chose Spock to become his first officer. When they all returned to the ship to head out on their first official mission as a crew Jim was beaming and Serenity was giggling as he and Bones bantered back and forth. This was their new family…and she couldn't wait to see what the stars held in store for them.

A/N: So there's the first chapter. After this we move into the events just before Into Darkness and Serenity first meets Khan…that should be fun lol.


	2. Chapter 2

Serenity in Space

A/N: Alright folks…here's the next chapter where Serenity meets Khan for the first time.

Chapter 2

Thanks to Jim's recklessness the Enterprise was grounded indefinitely…and he was no longer Captain. Pike was Captain again and Jim was First Officer while Spock was going to be moved to another ship. Serenity was hurt and angry and none of the three men were willing to get anywhere near the small woman. She had stormed out of the little meeting with a deep scowl on her face and none of them tried to stop her. The small blonde ended up taking a walk through London to try and clear her head, her shoulder length hair left down around her face in little waves. She had a pair of little heart-shaped buns on the top of her head and her hair had gone from golden blonde to white blonde over the last few years. It had started after the Narada Incident when she had shielded the ship from debris and neither she nor Leo could figure out what caused it. She bumped into what felt like a wall and almost hit the ground but a pair of strong arms held her up and she found herself looking up into a pair of dark eyes set in a very handsome face.

"Oh…I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going…"

"It's quite alright. You seemed…troubled."

"OH…yes…I'm a bit angry right now but I'll be alright."

"You work for Starfleet."

It was a statement rather than a question and she smiled at him, unknowingly startling the man with how innocent she seemed to be. It didn't fit with what he knew of Starfleet…if she had worked for the man who had control of him and his family he'd have eaten her alive.

"Yes. I'm the Head Nurse on the USS Enterprise. My name is Serenity."

"I am John Harrison. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She beamed another smile at him before her phone beeped at her and she groaned softly, a sound that made his eyes darken slightly though she didn't see it as she was looking at her phone.

"I'm sorry to run off but I have to go assist with a surgery. It was nice meeting you Mr. Harrison."

She waved as she ran back towards Starfleet headquarters while Khan watched her, his eyes slightly narrowed as he tried to figure out how such an innocent woman could possibly work for Starfleet…unless the part of Starfleet he knew was not the main part but a subsection…this would require more research.

Serenity slid into the hospital and Doctor McCoy raised an eyebrow at her arrival. She just stuck her tongue out at him and got herself ready to go in and assist him with the surgery. As they scrubbed in he updated her on the condition of the patient and what they would need to do to fix the problem. Apparently a private on leave had gotten drunk and tried to bungee jump off of the roof of the Headquarters building…managing to break both of his legs in the process. Serenity could not stop her eyes from rolling at the sheer stupidity involved. It took them two hours but the surgery was a success, Serenity handled one leg while Leo took the other so it got done faster.

"I think you're ready to take your final and become a Doctor…you were brilliant in there sweetheart."

"Really? You really think I'm ready Leo?"

"Yeah sweetheart, I think you're more than ready. I'll put in the recommendation so you should be able to take the final in the next day or two."

Serenity threw her arms around him in a hug, which he returned with a fond chuckle. A familiar set of voices soon had her turning with a beaming smile as Leo shared the good news.

"What's all this then? You trying to make a move on my little cousin Bones?"

"Hardly…no offence sweetheart. We just had a successful surgery and I'm recommending she take her final as soon as possible."

"Good luck Kiddo…not that I think you'll need it with this guy as your trainer."

"Thanks Uncle Chris."

"The probability of failure is miniscule…you will do well."

"Thank you Spock."

Serenity giggled at the faces Jim and Leo made at Spock version of reassurance. She understood though, and it was comforting to now he thought the chance of her not passing was really low…it added to her confidence level. It only took until the next day for her final exam to be set up, a complicated surgery case had come in that morning and they called her in to handle it for her final. She was nervous but also excited and the entire Enterprise Bridge crew, plus Scotty and Pike, were sitting in the lobby of the hospital waiting for her. When she finally came out after six hours of surgery she was exhausted but her smile was beaming as bright as any sun.

"I did it! I passed!"

"Congratulations, Doctor Kirk."

"I'm not officially a Doctor until it gets logged into the system Jimmy."

"That only takes about an hour sweetheart…you're a Doctor now."

"I think I'm still in shock, Leo."

"We need to celebrate…let's all go out to a bar."

"Honestly Jim…you don't celebrate something like this at a bar. No…this requires something a bit classier than a bar."

"Like what Nyota? A restaurant?"

"Just what is wrong with a restaurant?"

"They're too stuffy."

"Will both of you stop? I'm the one who passed so I decide where we go…and I choose a dance club…with milkshakes."

"In other words the Shimmy Club."

"Yes!"

"I think I'll sit this one out kids…I'm too old for that kind of thing. You kids go have fun."

"Uncle Chris…"

"No kiddo…I'll take you out to dinner at a nice fancy restaurant another day alright?"

"I'll hold you to that."

The group headed out to the club Serenity had chosen and she made an immediate beeline for the bar to get an enormous chocolate milkshake. The other just laughed and either started dancing or drinking at a booth in the back. Nyota dragged Spock to the dance floor while Scotty went solo. Pavel managed to talk Hikaru into dancing with him while Jim and Leo sat in the booth and drank themselves into oblivion. Serenity alternated between checking on Jim and Leo…and dancing with whoever caught her attention. A pair of hands gently gripped her hips and pulled her back against a strong chest, causing her to look up and back over her shoulder to see the dark eyes of the man she'd met the previous day.

"Hello again Mr. Harrison."

Her words were lost to the loud music but he read them on her lips and gave her a small smirk in return. She smiled at him as he began moving them both to the music and she just let herself get lost in the dance. He watched her as she moved, her body fluid and graceful in a way he had only seen in his own people. A sudden commotion pulled them both back to reality and Serenity sighed at the sight of Jim dancing on the bar and making quite a few people unhappy with him.

"Time to go…he's had more than enough. It was nice dancing with you…you move very well."

Before he could stop her she had slipped from his hands and moved to the bar, grabbing her cousin's ear with one hand and dragging him out the door with it, the rest of the crew following with varying degrees of amused looks. Khan watched all of this, slipping into the shadows where no one would notice him as easily and following them outside. Serenity practically shoved Jim into Spock and pointed at the taxi that had pulled up.

"Get him inside so we can get back to Headquarters so he can sleep it off. I suppose this means I'm babysitting tonight."

"He's like an overgrown toddler when he's drunk."

"To be fair Nyota…he's like that sober sometimes too."

"True. Spock and I will take the next taxi."

"Pavel and I will take Scotty in another one…you take Bones and Jim."

"Oh fun…you guys get the easy one. He's Scottish…he handle alcohol better."

"You'll be fine sweetheart. I'll be there to help…besides…you're a doctor now."

Serenity beamed a bright smile and giggled happily as Leo reminded her of the reason they'd gone out to begin with.

"I'm still getting used to that. It's still so new Leo…"

"It'll wear off after you have your first marathon surgery run after an away mission gone wrong."

"Maybe…but then…maybe not. Come on…let's get going."

Khan watched from the shadows as they all left in little groups, his mind processing the latest information on the little blonde. She was a Doctor now…as recently as today from the sound of it. This meant she was not just beautiful, graceful, and inexplicably innocent…but also intelligent. He would have to find her again after he freed his people from Marcus' grasp.

A couple of days passed and the Kelvin Memorial Library was bombed, leaving Serenity and Leo reeling in shock. When Pike, Spock, and Jim were called to a meeting Pike decided to take Serenity as well. Admiral Marcus wasn't thrilled with her being there but he commenced the meeting and showed a picture of the man who perpetrated the attack. Serenity's eyes widened at the image and she whispered rapidly to Jim and Pike.

"I've met him…several times. I don't think he'd do something like this…at least not without a good reason. He danced with me at the club Jimmy…I don't understand this."

"I'm more interested in what's inside that bag he's carrying."

Marcus noticed their little conversation and interrupted them, asking if they had something to say. Pike kept Serenity quiet, thinking it would not be a good idea for Marcus to know she'd been in contact with the man they were going to be hunting down. Jim started speaking and Serenity felt her blood run cold as a red light filled the room.

"In the event of a terrorist attack Starfleet mandates that all available Captains and First Officers meet here…in this room…"

"Jimmy…"

"Clear the room!"

Jim threw Serenity to the floor and covered her with his own body as debris flew around them. He rolled them to the side and pushed her behind a column before darting off to the side to start throwing things at the ship firing into the room. Serenity noticed Pike laying in a pile of rubble nearby and rushed to his side. He was dying and she could feel the power inside her flooding to the surface as she tried desperately to save him. Her hands and body began to glow with silver light that flowed into Pike's body and healed his injuries. Khan watched form inside the little ship in shock at the vision she made with her silver hair glowing. He soon became distracted by Kirk successfully ruining the ship and forcing Khan to beam out for safety. Jim noticed the silver glow after Khan vanished and ran to Serenity's side just as Pike woke up.

"You two alright?"

"I'm fine Jim…thanks to her…is she alright?"

"She will be…it drains her when she does this…I think it was instinct. She tries not to do this where people outside of our crew can see her."

"What the hell was that?"

"Admiral Marcus. That was miss Kirk saving my life."

"I want her transferred under my command."

"Absolutely not. She's only just become a Doctor and is still under the supervision of Doctor McCoy…who as you know is the CMO on the Enterprise so she must stay with him."

"Very well…as soon as that's finished she moves to my command."

"We'll see. That being said…what's our next move here?"

Jim started to carry Serenity but Spock beat him too it and lifted her as if she weighed next to nothing. Jim and Pike followed close behind, Jim calling Bones on the way to check her over when they arrived at his location. Later, after Scotty had determined that Harrison had somehow beamed himself to the Klingon homeworld, they ended up back in front of Marcus as he gave them their new instructions.

"I'm putting Kirk back in command of the Enterprise with Spock and sending them after Harrison. I have access to a batch of new experimental torpedoes to be fired at him to take him out without any fuss."

"What's the payload of these things?"

"Not important right now. What IS important is finding Harrison and taking him out before he does any more damage. Dissmissed."

Scotty argued with Jim about the torpedoes and ended up quitting when Jim refused to see reason. Serenity was already on the ship running an inventory check in the Medbay and didn't find out until much later. She was unhappy with Jim herself and reminded him that killing a man without a trial would make them no better than Kodos…that got his attention in a way no one else had managed to do.

"I will not become anything like that monster…we'll send a small group to the planet to find him and bring him back to stand trial."

The group ended up being Jim, Spock, Nyota, two security officers, and Serenity in case anyone got hurt. Serenity was biting her lip to keep from laughing as Nyota began laying into Spock for his previous actions on Nibiru that lead to the ship being grounded in the first place. Jim was just shocked that she was choosing right then to have it out.

"Really? You guys are seriously going to do this now?"

"Jim was upset too."

"Don't drag me into this."

The ship was suddenly shot at and Jim decided to try and loose their Klingon tail by maneuvering into a very skinny space between some rocks.

"Captain, this ship will not fit."

"We'll fit."

"We will not fit."

"We'll fit, We'll fit."

They all hung on for dear life as the ship barely scraped through the passage and safely stopped on the other side.

"Told you we'd fit."

"I am not sure that qualifies."

Serenity giggled at Spock's little burst of sarcasm, only to have her mirth die in her throat as they became surrounded by Klingon ships. Nyota demanded to be allowed to try and negotiate with the Klingons, which Jim allowed despite Serenity telling them it was a bad idea…with Spock backing her up. When Uhura was lifted into the air by her throat Serenity felt her own tighten in fear only to have a beam take out the Klingon holding her. The rest of the group rushed out and began firing at any Klingon that moved. When Jim was pinned under the boot of a Klingon who was about to fire at his head Serenity screamed his name just as another beam took out said Klingon. Spock pulled Jim back to where Serenity and Nyota were already hiding as they watched Harrison take out an entire squadron of Klingons solo.

"What the hell? Who is this guy?"

After he finished with the Klingons Harrison advanced on their hiding spot, shooting Spock's weapon out of his hand before he could even fully raise it. Serenity moved out from behind Jim and looked at the man, her big blue eyes shining with questions. His own eyes were locked onto her even as he spoke to the rest of them.

"How many?"

"What?"

"The torpedoes you spoke of in your message…how many are there?"

"72."

It was Spock who answered and Serenity saw pain flash in the man's eyes, a deep emotional pain that pulled at her heartstrings, before he dropped his weapon and held his hands up.

"I surrender."

Jim accepted the man's surrender and then started punching him repeatedly until Serenity grabbed his arm and he froze so he wouldn't accidentally hurt her.

"Captain."

"Jim…enough…you're better than that. Let's just get him back to the ship and then I can check your injuries."

"I'm fine Rena…promise."

"If you actually think I'm going to fall for that then you must have a concussion."

Nyota laughed softly and Spock raised an amused eyebrow, both of them clearly taking the side of the smaller blonde over their Captain. Harrison was still watching Serenity, even as he allowed himself to be cuffed and led back to the ship waiting above them. He was escorted into a cell and then Bones and Serenity came in to take a blood sample and run a few basic scans, Jim and Spock right behind them.

"Put your arm through the hole…I need a blood sample."

The man just stared at Bones with a blank look and Serenity sighed softly, her softer voice using more polite language.

"Honestly Leo…you have a horrible bedside manner. Mr. Harrison? Would you please place your arm through the hole so we can get a blood sample?"

Khan gave her a short little nod and placed his arm through the hole so Bones could get is sample, shooting her a little pout in the process.

"It's called being polite Leo…it wouldn't kill you once in awhile."

"You never know sweetheart."

Serenity rolled her eyes and Jim snorted softly before addressing Harrison as Bones fled from the room as if the hounds of hell were on his heels. Serenity opted to remain behind with Jim and Spock, listening as Jim pulled information out of the man. Harrison managed to figure out that their warp core was malfunctioning and gave them a set of coordinates which Jim later had Scotty check out, and then Jim decided to answer the man's challenge to open up one of the torpedoes. After Jim and Spock left the room Serenity remained behind, earning a curious look from the man in the cell.

"Why are you still here? Should you not be following your Captain?"

"I will when I'm ready. Jimmy trusts me."

"How quaint. Are you two a couple then?"

"Oh dear Lord no…I'd probably strangle him. No…he's my cousin but we're closer than most siblings."

"I see. Does that mean you are unclaimed?"

"Unclaimed? You mean single? Yes, I am…though I fail to see why you're worried about that right now."

"I am…curious. Indulge me."

"I probably shouldn't…you are a wanted criminal after all…and you nearly killed my secondary father…"

"I apologize…my only target was Admiral Marcus."

"Why?"

"I will explain that later…for now…I want to know what it was you did back in that room that made you glow."

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone about that…it could put me in danger."

"If Marcus saw it then you are already in danger. The man is not who you think he is."

"I don't really understand in myself…it showed up years ago in a crisis and we still can't figure out why or what it is."

"I could help if they'd let me out of here."

"I doubt that will happen Mr. Harrison."

"That is not my name."

"Then what is your name?"

"Soon little angel…soon. So…I hear you managed to become a Doctor…"

The two continued speaking until Jim came sliding around the corner panting for air and looking more than a little disturbed to find his cousin still there, leaning back against the barrier and talking softly to the man.

A/N: Sort of a cliff hanger even though we all know what comes next lol. Hope you all enjoy my first Khan chapter with Serenity.


	3. Chapter 3

Serenity in Space

A/N: This is the last chapter, the end of the story. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Chapter 3

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?"

Serenity looked at Jim in confusion over his words, swiftly turning back to Khan as he spoke in a soft baritone. She heard a hint of something in his voice that she couldn't quite place just yet. Spock walked in shortly after, looking much more composed than her cousin as per usual.

"There are men and women inside all those torpedoes, I put them there."

"Jimmy? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure…Mr. Harrison? Who the hell are you?"

"A remnant of a time long past, genetically engineered to be superior so as to lead others to peace in a world at war. We were condemned as criminals, forced into exile. For centuries we slept, hoping when we awoke things would be…different, but as a result of the destruction of Vulcan your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift. I alone was revived."

"I looked up John Harrison. Until a year ago he didn't exist."

"John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause. A smoke screen to conceal my true identity. My name…is Khan."

The small breath of air from beside Jim caused the three men to turn to her. Khan took in her wide silver-blue eyes and his own narrowed slightly in response. He saw no fear in her eyes but more than a small dose of unease and recognition.

"You know my name…don't you little one?"

"I know of it…yes. I completed my thesis on the Eugenics wars and the augmented humans."

"Why did Marcus need your help? A 300 year old frozen man isn't going to know anything about modern technology."

"Jim…the augments were designed to be extremely intelligent and very fast learners. Given the right materials to read he could learn the entire history of those 300 years in maybe a few weeks…tops."

"And I did exactly that. 300 years of history and technology, even medical advancements. Marcus gave me access to all of it. Alexander Marcus needed a warrior's mind, my mind, to design weapons and warships."

"You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold simply to exploit your intellect."

"He wanted to exploit my savagery. Intellect alone is useless in a fight. You, you can't even break a rule. How could you be expected to break bone?"

"Enough! Just…that's enough…all of you. Stop it. We need to focus."

"I watched you open fire on a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers."

"Marcus took my crew from me."

"You are a murderer!"

"He used my friends to control me. I tried to smuggle them to safety by hiding them inside the very weapons I had designed, but I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone, and when I did I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear. So I responded in kind. My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do, for your family?"

Serenity was crying at the pain in his voice and the tears she saw on his face. She knew this pain, had felt this pain keenly, and it broke her heart to see it in another, especially one so strong and controlled. She started to hyperventilate as the memories of Tarsus, and that horrible day when her entire world was shattered, began to take over her mind. Jim noticed her tears and how upset she had become and pulled her into his arms, bringing her face up to look at him as her breathing rapidly spiraled out of control. He realized by the distant look in her eyes that she was trapped in a memory and he immediately knew which one, because only one could make her like this.

"Serenity? Look at me. Focus on me, alright? Please? You need to calm down. Hey…it's ok…we're here…we're safe. We're on the Enterprise. Come back to me Serenity…please…I promise you're safe. We're not back there…we're not on Tarsus…we're on the ship…our ship."

Slowly her breathing began to slow back down and her eyes focused on her cousin. Khan and Spock both watched, the later displaying an unusual amount of emotion for a Vulcan. Khan searched his mind for the information he'd read on Tarsus and calculated the dates to realize that she and the Captain had been there during the massacre...and they had been mere children forced to witness that horror. He felt a rare twinge of pity that grew into a spark of anger at the one who had caused such pain in the angelic little woman in front of him.

"Doctor? Serenity? Are you alright?"

"I'll be alright Spock. Certain things can…trigger a particularly unpleasant memory."

"That was more than an unpleasant memory little one. Had the Captain not been able to calm you…you would have lost consciousness. I read about the events that occurred on Tarsus IV…the massacre. You were there…weren't you?"

"Yes. We both were. We were among the few to survive outside of the elite...and two of only nine children to survive at all."

"The Tarsus Nine."

"I really hate that Title…"

"My apologies, little one. There is little information on what happened between the capture of the children and the eventual rescue by Starfleet."

"That was done at our request…and that of Captain Christopher Pike. Kodos…he had us all tortured for daring to defy him…but he wanted me to be a part of his breeding program for superior beings. I refused so he had me tortured more severely than any of the others…Jimmy almost cut through his own wrists trying to get to me. It was Uncle Chris's ship, the USS Farragut, which arrived first. They took care of us on the long trip back to Earth and Chris checked in on us frequently as we grew up, and then challenged us to join the fleet…so we did."

"I would have gladly killed this…Kodos…for daring to harm children. Among my people that was, and always will be, the worst offence anyone could commit…closely followed by taking a woman without her consent."

"Right…but murder was fine…"

"Jim, please? Look, the augments were vicious when angry, yes. They are stronger, faster, and generally more intelligent than the rest of humanity…though some of us can equal their intelligence. Khan was the fairest ruler out of all of them…the one who did the most good for the people he ruled over. Under his reign India prospered. The people were cared for, their economy flourished, and crime was at an all-time low. The only reason it ended was because humanity turned against the more vicious augments and forced Khan and his people into exile, though the people of India at the time were not pleased to see him go. He can help us Jim…I know he can."

"Fine…take him to the medical bay with you…but be careful. I can't lose you."

"I know…same goes for you. You're all I have left now."

"That is inaccurate."

"Spock?"

"The Captain is not all you have left. You have the crew of this ship who all care for your well-being and count you are a friend."

Serenity gave a beaming smile that stunned the three males for a moment. Jim recovered fastest because he was used to her smiles but the other two needed a minute.

"Even you, Mr. Spock?"

"Yes. Especially as it is thanks to you that Nyota has forgiven me for my actions on Nibiru."

"You do understand why she was so upset right?"

"I do."

"Good. Khan? Please follow me."

"As you wish, little one."

Khan just watched silently as the Captain dropped the barrier holding him inside his cell and when the tiny little female held out a hand to him he followed without hesitation. Jim was half concerned and half amused by the man's apparent inability to refuse his cousin. Serenity led Khan to the medical bay, a team of security officers following them the entire way but not too closely. Khan watched Serenity work on the men in medical, but when Jim started broadcasting his conversation with Admiral Marcus she froze and listened.

"He's as bad as Kodos was…"

Her horrified whisper had Khan moving her into his arms to soothe her rising fear, not wanting her to start reliving those memories again. When they went to warp he noticed all of them relax and he countered what the male doctor said, causing the other blonde to race for the bridge.

"Well, at least we're moving."

"If you think you're safe at warp…you're wrong."

The further broadcast caused the small blonde in his arms to start shaking and the deep growl that rumbled from his chest actually seemed to soothe her, even as it made the men in the room unnerved. When a new voice came over the line Serenity's face beamed into a bright smile, causing a flare of jealousy in Khan's gut that he ruthlessly suppressed.

"Scotty…"

"Oh good, if anyone can help the Captain come up with some insanely hair-brained scheme it's that guy."

"Leo…be nice."

"I am…those two are the reason I'm going grey early."

When Jim came storming into the medical bay, seeing his clearly shaken cousin in Khan's arms, he froze for a moment before moving to stand in front of the man and ask for his help in getting onto the other ship and stopping Marcus. Khan, of course, wanted to know what he would get out of it.

"I can guarantee the safety of your crew."

"You can't even guarantee the safety of your own crew."

"Bones. What are you doing with that tribble?"

"The tribble's dead. I'm injecting it with Khan's platelets. His cells regenerate like nothing I've ever seen before."

"Are you coming with me or not Khan?"

"I'm in Jimmy."

"No…absolutely not."

"If anything goes wrong and you get hurt you'll need me Jim."

"I will keep her safe, Captain. You can count on that."

"Damnit…alright fine…let's go."

The three of them got ready to launch while talking to Scotty, guiding him in what needed to be done before they could safely launch. Scotty's words when he found the door caused Serenity a great deal of amusement and even Khan had a hint of a smile curling his lips.

"Whoah. Hold on there, Captain. This door is very wee, I mean ya know, small. 4 square meters tops. It's gonna be like jumping out of a moving car, off a bridge, and into your shot glass."

"It's ok, I've done it before."

The look Khan gave Jim at that moment caused a little giggle to escape Serenity, made worse when Jim tried to explain and made it sound even worse before giving up. Soon enough Scotty gave them the signal and they launched out of the ship and into space. When Jim's face-shield cracked after being hit and he lost his navigation Khan took over and guided him to safety. Khan flew through the debris field like he was born to fly through space, one arm wrapped around Serenity's waist to make sure she remained safe. The door opened at the last possible second and they all slammed into the floor of the Vengeance, Khan using his body to protect Serenity from the landing.

"Thank you, Khan. Are you hurt?"

"I am unharmed, little one."

"jimmy?"

"Little bruised, but otherwise fine."

The three Starfleet members followed Khan as he led them through the ship, to get them safely to the bridge. Serenity was watching in fascination as Khan fought off the men that showed up to try and stop them. He was impressive and beautiful. One man made the mistake of trying to grab Serenity, thinking the female would be the easier target, and learned just how bad an idea that was when Khan ruthlessly beat him into the floor. When Jim whispered something to Scotty, Serenity missed it entirely as Khan showed up and she followed him without question. They finally reached the bridge and Scotty stunned Khan causing Serenity to round on him with anger dancing in her eyes, something he had rarely seen.

"What the hell did you do, Scotty?!"

"Captain's orders Lass. Sorry."

"Jimmy?!"

Jim winced when she turned on him next and tried to explain that he felt it was safer that way so Khan wouldn't try to kill Marcus. He said Marcus needed to be arrested to answer for his crimes. This was one of the few times Serenity disagreed with him.

"He's too dangerous to remain alive Jim. He's exactly like Kodos…he'll never stop…not until he's dead."

Jim and Marcus began arguing and Jim told Marcus he was under arrest but Khan woke up and dropped both Scotty and pushing Jim out of his way, though much more gently than he could have as he didn't actually want to harm either of them. Carol tried to stop her father when he went after Serenity and the man shoved his own daughter hard enough to break her leg when she fell. Marcus grabbed Serenity and held her in a way that if he moved just right he could snap her neck, threatening to do exactly that if the men didn't surrender. Khan and Jim both froze, staring in horror and/or anger. Khan reacted faster than Jim thought possible and carefully threw Serenity into Jim's arms before literally crushing Marcus's skull with his bare hands. Carol screamed at the sight but managed to pull herself together for the most part.

"Khan…?"

Serenity's soft voice brought the man out of his enraged frenzy and he turned to her, his face and posture softening significantly as he opened his arms to her. Jim watched her curl against this dangerous man, seeing how gently he held her as though she were a crystal figurine. Jim turned to the console and contacted the Enterprise.

"Kirk to Enterprise, do you copy?"

"We see you, Captain. Is the ship secure?"

"Affirmative. Admiral Marcus is no longer a threat. He attempted to kill Doctor Serenity and Khan saved her life by ending the Admiral's."

Jim looked over at Khan, the two sharing a long look with many micro-expressions that spoke volumes. Khan gave a subtle nod, agreeing to whatever plan was brewing in the young Captain's head.

"We will use the Vengeance to guide the Enterprise safely back to Earth. Khan will pilot this ship after returning Scotty and I, along with Carol Marcus, back to our ship. Serenity will remain here as she seems to be able to calm his fits of anger and I doubt she's willing to leave his side right now anyway. Scotty and I will attempt to stabilize our ship's warp core but if that fails I will contact the bridge and you will have Khan beam everyone on our ship over to the Vengeance immediately. Am I clear, Mr. Spock?"

"Affirmative Captain. I have spoken with a friend of ours from New Vulcan…I think you should hear what he had to say."

"Later Spock, once we're all safe again. Khan…send the three of us over please?"

"Of course. If the warp core is too badly damaged notify me immediately so I can begin evacuating your crew."

"I will…thank you."

Khan sent everyone other than Serenity back to the Enterprise medical bay where Bones immediately set to work on Carol's leg. Jim and Scotty raced to engineering and quickly realized that the warp core was beyond their ability to fix, especially since the radiation suits were inaccessible.

"Shit! Spock?! Contact Khan immediately."

"Captain…"

"Now, Mr. Spock! We do not have time for hesitation."

"I am listening Captain."

"Begin the transfer of our crew. We have limited time before the radiation starts seeping out of the core or the damned thing just explodes entirely."

Khan's measured tone interjected and his words sent a feeling of relief through the young Captain. He could hear Serenity in the background muttering off a checklist of what needed to be done after the transfer was completed and snorted softly in amusement.

"I am starting now."

"Make sure to transfer your own crew as well, Khan. I want no living being left on this ship."

"Understood. I assume they are still inside the torpedoes?"

"Negative."

"Spock? What the hell did you do?"

"Doctor McCoy and I felt it would be prudent to remove Khan's people from the torpedoes in case we had to use them to try and stop the Vengeance. The cryo-tubes are in the medical bay, unharmed."

"You and I will have words later Spock. For now we need to focus on keeping this ship afloat long enough to save out crew."

Jim's eye twitched a bit at what he was beginning to think Spock had been planning to do and his heart raced as his mind showed him several ways that would have ended horribly for all of them. It took Khan a matter of minutes to evacuate the Enterprise using the advanced capabilities of the Vengeance. Once all of the Enterprise crew were safely on the Vengeance, save the last few members of her command crew, Jim gave a final order.

"Mr. Sulu?"

"Captain?"

"Are there any small, uninhabited areas nearby?"

"There's a large asteroid not far. Why?"

"Fire those 72 torpedoes at it, all in unison. I don't want them to ever be able to be used."

"Yes Sir, Captain."

Sulu did as ordered and they all watched the brilliant explosion, realizing just how powerful and dangerous those weapons had been. Serenity felt relief at knowing they could never be used and Khan felt relief at knowing his crew was safe in the medical bay of the Vengeance. He transported the last of Kirk's crew, and Kirk himself, onto the bridge of the Vengeance before using tow beams to pull the Enterprise back to Earth. Serenity immediately contacted the medical bay to talk to her friend and mentor.

"Is everyone alright? Were there many injuries Leo?"

"Not as bad as I'd feared Sweetheart. I've got this handled, you keep an eye on your cousin in case he gets any more crazy ideas."

"I heard that Bones."

"Good."

Serenity breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against Khan's muscular body, one of his arms wrapping gently around her waist to hold her in place as he sat in the Captain's chair of the enormous warship with her on his lap.

"So…what happens when we arrive back at Earth, Captain? You hand me over to Starfleet so another Admiral can do what Marcus did?"

"No. I'm going to contact Admiral Pike and explain everything to him and see what he has to say on all of this. Pike is a good man and he'll do what he can to fix this cluster fuck that Marcus created."

Jim did exactly that, sending the recordings from his own ship of his conversations with Marcus as well as the evidence that Scotty had gathered in his infiltration over to Pike's computer. Pike listened carefully to what each of them, including Khan, had to say while noting how protective the augmented man seemed to be over his surrogate niece.

"Khan will have to stand trial for what happened with the Kelvin Memorial Library and the meeting...however, with all of this evidence I think it's safe to say he will be pardoned on the basis of being manipulated by a corrupted official. As to the crimes he was accused of in the past…those no longer count as they were too far in the past to have any relevance on the present. When the trial concludes I will see if I can get Khan and his people assigned to the Enterprise to replace the crew members lost this time."

"I respectfully disagree, Admiral Pike."

"Mr. Spock?"

"A friend on New Vulcan, you know of whom I speak Admiral, informed me that Khan is the most dangerous and ruthless person he had ever encountered in his timeline, and that he and his crew barely managed to defeat the man."

Serenity looked at Spock and her expression, so full of hurt and anger, made the Vulcan wince and step back as she started yelling at him…lecturing his really. When he looked to Jim or Nyota for help they just raised their eyebrows at him and left him to fend for himself.

"Spock?! What the hell is wrong with you?! You prize logic above all else and yet you are using none of it. Khan has done nothing to harm any member of this crew, quite the opposite since he saved all of us more than once. Is he capable of being very deadly? Yes, but so are you…for that matter so am I or any of us. He's not an animal, Spock. He can control himself just as you can. He deserves a chance. Did the other one tell you why Khan became their enemy in the first place? What caused his rage to be turned on them?"

"He did not."

"Then perhaps we should ask him that then."

Serenity's words were not a question and Nyota was already in the process of contacting New Vulcan again as the blonde spoke. When the face of a very old Vulcan filled half of the screen, with Pike on the other half, Serenity gave him a stern look that showed him this was not a social call.

"When your crew faced Khan in your timeline…why did he attack all of you?"

"I am not sure I follow your meaning, my dear."

"What were the events that led up to the fight?"

"Khan and his people were found adrift and awoken. They were given the choice to integrate with Terran society or be relocated to a planet of their own. They chose to relocate. Unfortunately something went wrong with the planet's atmosphere and most of the augments starved to death before Starfleet found out what had happened…including Khan's wife Marla. He was the last one alive by the time the Enterprise arrived and his rage was beyond anything we had ever encountered. He killed many before we were able to stop him and I nearly lost my life in the process."

"So, to summarize…Starfleet relocated them but never checked up on them and Khan lost everyone he cared for? Correct?"

"Yes."

"He blamed Starfleet and retaliated in revenge?"

"I believe so, yes."

"So how does that make you believe that this version of Khan will be the same? He has saved us, helped us, and done nothing against any of us. He went after Marcus because he believed the man had killed his crew, but they are alive and frozen here with us. The Khan of your timeline was perfectly calm and non-aggressive until after his people died…then he snapped which is actually a normal human reaction."

"You are…correct…I should have attempted to see things from his perspective. I allowed my own feelings to cloud my judgement. A mistake I will endeavor to not repeat again."

"Good. Now we need to focus on getting back to Earth safely and then getting this ridiculous trial over with so we can wake up Khan's crew and help them integrate properly with the rest of our crew."

Jim snorted softly and wondered, not for the first time, which of them was really in charge. When she put her mind to something there was little that could stand in her way. Bones came over the coms and his voice sounded more than a bit panicked, which caused red flags to go off in Jim's head.

"I need Serenity down here now! Something is horribly wrong with Carol and I can't figure out what's happening to her. She only had a broken leg she should be fine now but she's getting worse."

"What are her symptoms Leo? Talk me through it as I walk your way."

Khan followed her and Jim didn't even bother to try and tell him to stay, he doubted the man would actually listen anyway. He seemed to trail after Serenity as if a magnet connected them.

"She's barely breathing, rapid pulse, high blood pressure, pale skin, lips turning blue…This makes no sense. There's no other injury, no infection, her blood scan came up clean…"

"It's a toxin Marcus uses to tie up loose ends. I never expected he would use it on his own daughter."

"That's horrible."

When they finally reached the medical bay Serenity gently nudged Leo out of her way and placed her hands on either side of Carol's face. Her eyes slid closed and she felt that strange power well up from inside of her, flowing out into Carol's body in waves of purifying silver energy. Khan watched in open-mouthed awe as her hair turned completely silver and her clothing seemed to flicker between her uniform and a long silvery-white gown. When Carol gasped for breath McCoy began scanning her as her vitals returned to normal. Khan watched Serenity sway on her feet and swiftly caught her before she could fall. Feeling her go limp in his arms his heart stuttered a bit before Bones reassured him with his words. Bones had seen the brief flash of panic on the Augment's face and realized the man cared a great deal for the tiny blonde that was essentially his little sister as much as Jim was his brother.

"She'll be fine Khan. She's just exhausted from using…whatever that ability is. She just needs rest and then some food when she wakes up."

"Where is her room? She will be more comfortable in her own bed I'm sure."

McCoy told Khan how to reach her room and gave him a temporary override code so he could access the door. Khan gently lifted the small blonde into his arms and carried her to her room, carefully laying her on her bed and sitting beside her to watch over her. Sometime later Jim joined them, sitting in a chair nearby. Bones had commed him to tell him what had happened and he left the bridge as soon as he was able to. Seeing her breathing steadily allowed him to finally relax. He saw how carefully Khan watched her, the man's hand gently brushing through her long hair.

"She'll be alright you know?"

"I know. She is stronger than she appears."

"She always has been…whatever you intend with her…don't hurt her."

"I have no intention of harming her in any way, Captain. My only intention is to do what I can to keep her safe and make her happy."

"Good…but I will be watching and if you hurt her I will find a way to end you. Got it?"

"I understand, Captain. Thank you, for helping my crew."

"It's not over yet, Khan, but I promise you I will do what I can to help you and the rest of my crew feels the same…as does Admiral Pike. I think the future may just be looking up for you and your crew."

"I believe you may be right, Captain. It's certainly looking much brighter for me already. How could it not with such a beacon of light to guide me away from the darkness I've known my entire life?"

"Serenity is good at that. Take care of her."

"I will…always."

A/N: I'm ending it here as I do not wish to spoil it now. You can imagine for yourselves how the trial and integration and all goes. This is the end of this story, I may do a sequel or maybe not…haven't decided yet. I do have quite a few stories to update after all lol.


End file.
